“I think it just takes sacrifice. I think sometimes people want that top job right away. And I think you have to be willing to pay your dues.
Right when I started working and stopped traveling and playing professionally, in my first month, I worked for free just to get started in my PGA books and have something, so it was more of a long-term play. I think a lot of the younger coaches that I see, they want that head job right away. They want to be in a certain conference right away.
And I think you just have to keep learning, and you have to keep improving. And I think if you do that, when opportunities come your way, you'll be ready for them.
I never thought that I was going to be a women's golf coach, but I just kept learning about golf and getting experience and meeting people. And then you just never know what door is going to open for you. And I think if you're ready, then you'll be ready for that opportunity. But you have to keep improving, keep learning.”
Adam Gary
College Golf Coach
Adam is referring to our competitive and ambitious tendency to keep moving up as quickly as possible. Most of us were athletes, and competitiveness is in our nature. It is natural to want to keep moving up.
But Adam suggests that there is value in working our way up systematically and by learning our way forward. He is suggesting that rather than forcing progress, it is better to be patient and those opportunities will come. Easier said than done!
Several years ago, a job opportunity opened up for me. It would have been a big promotion with greater leadership requirements. I applied, interviewed well, but ultimately did not get the job offer. While I was qualified, I lacked the experience necessary. I did not lack the skills to do the job, but to do it well. Today, if that same job opened up, I would be much more prepared, having amassed much more leadership experience and training.
Ask Yourself:
What opportunities in your current role could help you build the experience needed for your next position?
Are you pursuing advancement because you are ready for greater responsibility, or because you feel pressure to move forward quickly?
What knowledge, skills, relationships, or experiences do you still need to develop before pursuing your next opportunity?
Excerpt taken from Reflections on the Coaching Life Volume 2.